Tractor has 1,400 hrs on it. It does smoke a little a startup. It started up like normal/fine this morning. I pulled it up on my trailer (to go mow a friends place) and shut it off. Get to the friends place and start the tractor to back it off the trailer. It was slightly sluggish starting but started up. But I could tell the engine was running different and it sounds like there is a popping noise coming out of the muffler. Engine RPM's dropped to the point that trying to mow was basically impossible. I suspect it's only running on one cylinder now. With the engine running I placed a gloved hand on each valve cover. I could feel some warmth through the glove on the left cover but not the right cover. Even with my bare hand I could not feel any warmth on the right valve cover. So I took the plug out on that side and checked for spark as I turned the engine over. I could see spark. So where does that leave me ? I'm not a mechanic but the popping sound coming through the muffler makes me think it's the valve issue on that side. Suggestions ?
GT235 with 18 HP Kawasaki engine
- Thread starter macguy59
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It's air cooledI should also add that I bought the tractor with 278 hours on it and in the 1,200 hours since have not had the valves adjusted. So are you thinking a stuck or burnt valve on that side ? Bent push rod maybe ?
Ok I got brave and took the valve cover off the side I think is not providing power. Lo and behold the push rod for the bottom valve (exhaust valve?) was just just laying loose. So that valve was not opening. I assume this is probably what caused the loss of power and popping through the the exhaust ? I tried to adjust that valve based on some YouTube videos. It did not go well. I managed to bend the push rod. Ordered another one along with new gaskets. I'm confused about something though. In the videos they show using an allen wrench to hold to hold the center while you use a 12mm box wrench to loosen the nut. They then show that you use the allen wrench to check the valve clearance. On my Kawasaki engine it isn't just a nut. It's a nut with a bullet shaped sleeve on the bottom of it. The screw in the middle of that has an allen socket and is only about a 1/4" long. That screw was already hitting at the end of its travel (the post). Is it the allen screw or is it the bullet shaped nut that actually adjusts the clearance ? I've attached a JD parts picture
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Thank you that was exactly what I needed. I must have adjusted that nut down too much causing the the push rod to bend. Is there an easy way to determine TDC for each cylinder ?
So TDC is where the piston reaches it's top position before traveling back down ?